Massaging device



`March 31, 1953 J. D. BELL Y 2,633,123

MASSAGING DEVICE Filed Jan. :5, 1950 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 Y El INVENTQR.

March 31,` 1953 J. D. BELL 2,633,123

MASSAGING DEVICE l V Filed Jan. 5, 1950 2 slflEETs-sl-IEET 2 Y byeuse,ofpower. y

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 The present iinvention-.relatesrtoimprovements ma fmassaging :device `fand vits principal :object isstofprovide-amassagingdevicein .theform of a mat .having .a :plurality #of elongatedLmassaginfg elementsa-rranged in:parallelrelationfand having means forimparting l massaging motion to the saidielements. f -Y YAiurtherVobjectbf vfthev invention iistoprovide a mat of the eharacterdescribedWhichbmay-lbeusedfama.portable-.unit-forsapplicationto:tl'ie2hn man 'body for `any.part ithereof, lavl'iile-the latter is in upright .er1A Aseatedor-am7loth-er .desired -positon, buifwhichfmayalsobe1bodilvlncorporat'edV ingaframezstructu're;provided Withl suitable means for-.,-operaztingthemassagingfelementslby hand or- More particularly it :isfproposed`tmprovide a matrcomprising :a pluralityl-o'f k.rockabl'emassaginge'lementsesuitably interlocked `te formlachai'n,

the elements being .interconnected by :suitable drive Ameans .whereby:rocking motion imparted toa-,oneof them :.will ifbee transmitted-towothers f for synchronousfmotion. f i

:Itis further :proposed tosprovi-de suitablemeans forysattachi-ngtheamat. to Lanyfdesiredportioniof thejfhumanfbody. A

;It lturtherieontemplated eto- V:p1-avide one er mo re foper-atingfhandles or: ind-ividual-:rassaging elements allowing the user to rocktheelexiints back and forth over the body While thematfisattached'-'thiereta Y "It is ffurther proposed :linithe preferred f formof the invention-t mi arr-ange the massaging felmentsyinfrtwofseparatefseries and-to arrange-the operatingnmeans neuen=aefznanner.--thzfastltheffelements of the U-two Y:series-are rockedinopposite directions to provide massaging motion fromppositeisides ttoandsawayl'fromfa common-center.

t is :additionally .proposed toprovide a frame structureincludingl-aepair -of `elastictrackslon which fthe :massaginganat-mayabe-bodily '-s ported, :fands provided :=With=-means l-ferYii'iijpariing massaging-mationenthedierentlielements 'of theemat.` .f

It is further proposed to arrange-the-traclfts ir1 sueh`amanner-thatsthermatemayebe removed therefrom forjusez-asaapor-tableeunitandthatthe tracksmay :be :removed-with ftheeinat to.;again fgrmiaxportablenzt in-fWhich-the'tracks :are vused te;reinentbucklingmf:the mat. Y i

And; inally, fit: is proposed tomprovidegoperatin'g meansfvfor themassaging Vanatewithinthe .frame strueture,-;the Qarts Abeingsarrangedsuchea mannergthat the same; handlessused-'` for:operatllgeiihamassaging elementsn theeportable `unit 1, 2

n Y 2 n areralsoemployediorlthadriyingmeanslztoioperf ateon. Y

Further-,objects ,and advantages wlof ,my inventtionlwillappeariasfthe:specification proceeds, and theAnox/relfeaturesaofmyinvention will be I:fully dened ,inithe claims.attached hereto.

The preferred form omyginvention ;is illustrated ein itheaccompanying'drawings, lin which eFigure e1 rshowsan ,jendyieys/of my massagingdevice, T

sliigure VFa :.,topeplan view iofgsthesame,

@Figure 14, a `lperspective view ,of r the :frame on Wbiohthelmat maybadetachablysupported, and.k

Figure a :detaimiew of a modified :form i of massagingelementlusedfinimydeyice. l

-While zii have lshown' .only the preferred form of. myinxzentionpliwishtohaveit lunderstood that various, .changesyandemodifications; may bemade withinrthe scope `.of the claims attached heretoWithoutdepartingfrom Atheespirt .of :.-the inven-Y tion.

Referring:tolthe;drawing;inrdetailmy massaging edevice^ fcemprises 1 inits.` principal Y features a mat @I and laffraniestructure4 2.

Thelmats ehere shown as.nonsistilflg, 0f Sanluralit-y lof :rollers f34arranged 4in parallel relation, eachof therollers havingrshortshafts 4projecting rom oppositerends ,thereofrandalinks2,5.. connectingthelshaitsi-amoppostaendseoflsthe matl f that fupona lfrookinglmoiion,,imparted to 01.1.8 .01

the-rollerssthe others; willrockrinrsynchronism.

inl-two;seetionsrsymmetric;ong-oppositelsdes, of the eenterlinewith theidlergear lbvelweenfthe 1011615 adjacentltheecentertlneeomtted.eThisallows the rollerseof',ioneeseetion belopelated independentlyaoftlrloseeof :the otherhsectien, and .inmyqpreferrediorm-I.eausetberollers turbe melted against portion..-ofethe lhumanebpdy. ,SO that the.,fperson.fusing the,.,mat:maylrocklthe on r rollersliin. opbo'siteedirections, .-.thisnnotionbeing transmitteito dheannerl-rollers ongeach .side `oi'thecentenlinabythegearwheelseand idlershere- .toforee'descrbed. n

, The mat may be held to the body by means of suitable straps 9 whichmay be secured to the fend connecting links on one side of the mat andlfastenable to the end connecting links on the g,opposite side as shownat I0. Shoulder straps 9' may also be provided in the manner shown.

Thus the rollers may be made to massage the underlying area of the humanbody by crowding portions of the surface layer of the body first towardthe center line and then away from the center line in a rocking motion.It will be understood that the rollers may be made of any suitable shapeadapted for massaging action, either in the form of cylinders, as shown,with rubber surfaces, or of semi-cylinders, or mere massaging strips, itbeing understood that the rollers do not roll back and forth along thebody but merely rock on their own axis, while the mat as a whole remainssubstantially stationary.

If it is desired, selected rollers, or all of them, may also be suitablycontoured in their outer surfaces to produce a compound kneading action,as shown, for instance at 3'A in Figure 5, in which the surface of theroller is formed with reverse threads as at Il which combine upward anddownward push of the surface layer with the sidewise push of the plainroller.

The massaging action can further be stimulated by introducing additionalmassaging elements between selected elements such as the massagingstrips YI2 which are supported by the idler gears 1, with their freeedges projecting into the inner plane of the mat, as shown in Figure 1.These strips will rock in a direction opposite to that of the adjacentrollers and will produce local massaging effects in addition to thegeneral massaging effect produced by the main rollers.

The mat thus far described may be used as a portable unit and may bereadily applied to any suitable part of the human body and may beoperated by the user, thus involving a certain amount of exercise on thepart of the user.

But, the mat may also be used as part of a frame structure shown indetail in'Figure 4 in case the user desires to lie down on the mat andto massage himself While relaxing on the mat.

The frame structure, shown at 2, comprises a rectangular bottom framei3, posts i4 rising from the four corners thereof, and two elastictracks I5 removably secured upon opposing pairs of posts in parallelrelation. These tracks are made of springy material and may have centralcoiled springs I6 incorporated therein. They are secured upon the postsby means of screws Il.

The mat may be placed on these tracks in the manner shown in Figures 1and 2, with the projecting shafts 4 resting on the tracks, and the matas a whole is held against movement on the tracks by suitable end stopsi8 which are bent to project over the end shafts in the manner shown.

ASince the mat as a whole is free to buckle, due

to the link connection, the end shafts may be easily withdrawn from thestops i8 for removal of the mat. On the other hand, the tracks may bedisconnected from the frame by removal of the screws Il and may be movedwith the mat to form a unitary structure therewith for use asillustrated in Figure 3, in case it is desired to prevent buckling ofthe portable unit and to apply more uniform pressure upon the body, itbeing understood, of course, that the tracks would lie upon the outerfaces of the shafts 4.

When the mat is arranged to lie on the frame, the U-shaped handles 8project straight downward, as shown in Figure 1, and maybe operated forproducing massaging action in any suitable manner.

One means of operating the handles is shown as comprising a main shaft20 revolvably mounted in the brackets 2| to lie transversely underneaththe mat, and operable for rotary movement by means of a crank handle 22or by any suitable power means, such as an electric motor. This shaftcarries a cam 23 in the form of a disc inclined with respect to theshaft.

Two side shafts 24 are mounted on opposite sides of the main shaft andeach of the side shafts carries a slidable tube 25 held against rotarymotion in any suitable manner, as by pins 26 riding in a slot 21. One ofthe tubes has a pin 28 riding on one face of the cam for operation bythe latter against a coiled spring 29, which urges the sleeve into theopposite direction, while the other tube has a pin 30 riding on theother face of the cam for operation by the latter against a coiledspring 30 encircling the shaft 24.

Thus it will be seen that when the cam is made to rotate, manually or bya motor, the two tubes will be made to travel back and forth on theirrespective shafts in opposite directions. The two tubes are connected-to the handles 8 by means of links 3| and thus cause the handles torock back and forth for operating the mat rollers inthe mannerpreviously described.

Another form of operating the handles is by means of 'cords 32 attachedto the handles as at 33 and guided over pulleys 34 suitably supported inthe sides of the frame structure. These cords may be operated by meansof hand holds 35 by a person lying on the mat, this operation being Thusa person lying on the mat can operate the handles 8 for massaging actionby operation of the cord or by operation of the cam shaft, neither oneof which interferes with the other.

Since the entire frame structure is comparatively light in weight, it isentirely feasable for the user to use the entire structure in the mannershown in Figure 3. v1n case the operator desires to use the entiredevice as a portable unit he may fasten the same upon the body bysuitable straps fastened in hooks 36 secured upon the frame. Y

I claim: i

1. In a massaging device, a main frame having spaced elastic tracksthereon, a massaging mat including a series of elongated rockingelements having their ends supported on the tracks and linkageconnecting the rocking elements, and means for imparting rocking motionto said elements. Y

2. In a massaging device, a main frame having spaced elastic tracksthereon, a massaging mat supported on the tracks and including a seriesof elongated rocking elements, linkage connecting the rocking elementsand gear drives between the supported on the tracks and including aseries of elongated rocking'elements, linkage connecting the rockingelements and gear drives between the latter, and means operative on thegear drives for imparting synchronized rocking motion to the saidelementsVthe mat being made to rest loosely o n the tracks and beingseparable from the motion imparting means so as to allowl the mat to belifted from the tracks as a unitary structure.

4. In a massaging device, a main frame having spaced elastic tracksthereon, a massaging mat supported on the tracks and including a seriesof elongated rocking elements, linkage connecting the rocking elementsand gear drives between the latter, and means operative on the geardrives for imparting synchronized rocking motion to the y, saidelements, the tracks having stop members thereon to prevent travellingof the mat on the tracks.

5. In a massaging device, a massaging mat comprising a series ofelongated rocking elements arranged in parallel relation, linksinterconnectlng the rocking elements, a gear wheel on each of theelements and idler gears interposed between the gear wheels and carriedby the links, means for supporting the mat in elevated position, andmeans for imparting rocking motion to one of the elements whereby otherrocking elements are rocked in unison, the latter means comprising anarm projecting from said element, a drive shaft having a cam thereon anda driving connection between the cam and the arm.

6. In a massaging device, a massaging mat comprising a series ofelongated rocking elements arranged in parallel relation, linksinterconnectlng the rocking elements, a gear wheel on each of theelements and idler gears interposed between the gear wheels and carriedby the links, means for supporting the mat in elevated position, andmeans for imparting rocking motion to one of the elements whereby otherrocking elements are rocked in unison, the latter means comprising anarm projecting from said element, pulleys mounted on opposite sides ofthe arms, and cords secured upon the arm and guided over the pulleys formanua1 operation. y

7. In a massaging device, a main frame having a pair of elastic tracksthereon, a bodily detachable, flexible massaging mat supported on thetracks, the mat comprising a plurality of elongated rockable memberschained together with gear connections between the members, a cam andmeans for operating the same, and a driving connection between the camand one of the members for rocking other rockable members in unison.

8. In a massaging device, a main frame, a massaging unit supportedthereon, said unit comprising a plurality of massagingrollers and linkspivotally connecting the rollers at opposite ends thereof with freedomof rocking action of each of said rollers, a cam mounted on the frame,and means operable by the cam and connected to the unit to impart saidaction, and the unit being separable from the frame for independent use.

9. In a. massaging device, a main frame, a massaging unit supportedthereon, said unit comprising a plurality of massaging rollers and linkspivotally connecting the rollers at opposite ends thereof with freedomof rocking action of each of said rollers, a cam mounted on the frame,and connecting means between the cam and the unit operable for impartingsaid action, the said connecting means being separable to allow the unitto be removed for independent use and including a handle on the unitoperable to impart said action when the unit is used independently ofthe frame.

l0. A massaging device comprising a iiexible mat comprising a pluralityof massaging rollers, links pivotally connecting the rollers at oppositeends with freedom of rocking motion of each of said rollers, means forsecuring the mat upon a human body, a handle projecting from one of therollers whereby the latter may be rocked for massaging action, and drivemeans between said roller and other rollers whereby the other rollersare rocked in unison with the iirst roller.

11. A massaging device comprising a ilexible mat comprising a pluralityof massaging rollers, links pivotally connecting the rollers at oppositeends with freedom of rocking motion of each of said rollers, means forsecuring the mat upon a human body, handles projecting outwardly fromthe two outer rollers whereby the latter may be rocked for massagingaction, and drive means between the outer rollers and adjacentintermediate rollers whereby the intermediate rollers are rocked inunison with the outer rollers.

12. In a massaging device, a massaging mat comprising a series ofmassaging rollers arranged in parallel relation, links pivotallyconnecting the rollers at opposite ends thereof. driving connectionsbetween the rollers, means for supporting the mat in elevated positionwith respect to a iioor surface, and means for imparting rocking motionto one of the rollers whereby other rollers are moved in unison, thelatter means comprising an arm projecting from said roller, a pulley anda. cord secured upon the arm and guided over the pulley for manualoperation.

JOSEPH D. BELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 975,702 McCarthy NOV. 15, 19101,827,874 Hemp Oct. 20, 1931 1,856,591 Pierson May 3, 1932 2,052,656Prien Sept. 1, 1936 2,512,093 Doenges June 20, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 25,705 Australia Sept. 30, 1930 109,810 Austria Jan.15, 1928 539,959 Germany Dec. 7, 1931

